held, or the reliance that was placed on their inoffenfive character, that these grenadiers were led by their officers, upon a fervice fo fingular and alarming, without ammunition. Major Popham, upon fome intelligence of this fatal error, and perhaps of the appearance we have mentioned, difpatched another company of fepoys, with ammunition, to fupply and reinforce the first party; but thefe found the place alreadly fo entirely blocked up by armed men, and all the avenues fo choked by multitudes of people, that they found it impoffible to make their way through fuch a crowd, determined as it was not to admit their paffage.

It feems probable that the appearance of this party, ferved greatly to increase the rage of the already inflamed multitude; who perhaps confidered them as conveying, or being the intended executors of, the final doom of their prince; for the attack of the grenadiers in the fquare, inftantly commenced on their arrival. Thefe being deftitute of their ufual means of defence, were little capable of withstanding the weight and fury of the outrageous multitude, who burst in like a torrent on all fides upon them. The unfortunate party were al-, moft in an instant cut to pieces; the wounded being left in a condition lefs enviable than the flain. The three British officers are faid to have fold their lives dearly; they were found covered with wounds, and lying almoft fide by fide. 82 fepoys were killed on the fpot, and 92 defperately wounded.

It may be easily conceived, that

the Rajah was nearly overwhelmed with terror, at the commencement of the tumult, expecting his life to be the immediate forfeit to the rafhness of the people. He was, however, carried off by his attendants during the confufion, through a wicket, on the garden fide, which led to the river; and the banks being there very fteep, he was let down into a boat that conveyed him to the other fide, by a number of turbans, tied together. The tumultuous crowd who effected his refcue, and who feemed to be equally deftitute of judgment and leaders, looked to nothing farther than his mere efcape, and followed him across the river, in the fame diforder that they had before paffed.

Lieutenant Birrel, who led that company of fepoys, which brought up the ammunition, as the crowd decreased, pufhed on to the palace, where he had a smart fcufe, in which about 30 of his men were killed or wounded, in clearing it of a party of the rioters, who had loitered behind the main body. Major Popham arrived foon after with the remainder of his detachment, which had been encamped at about two miles diftance; but he had only the mortification of beholding the mangled bodies of his dead and wounded foldiers, without its being in his power to take any vengeance of the authors of the maffacre.

The Rajah, in his manifefto, as well as in feveral of his letters to the governor general, attributes the whole outrage and mischief that happened, to the unparalleled infolence of an inferior officer belonging to the refident;

who

who having been formerly in his own fervice, and being discharged for fome mifdemeanor, owed him a grudge on that account, and feized this opportunity of his diftrefs, to treat him in the most contumelious manner. That the indignation of his people being excited to madness, at feeing their prince treated in fo fhameful a manner, and by fo contemptible and unworthy a wretch, a quarrel arofe between them and the fepoys, in which, many being killed on both fides, the iffue was, at length, fuch as we have defcribed.

Had any fcheme of offence or refiftance been at all formed, or even in the contemplation of the Rajah, or without any fuch prévious scheme, had he only poffeffed common powers of political forefight and enterprize, he could not have miffed the opportunity which was then prefented, of ftriking an almoft decifive blew to the British interefts in India. The governor general, with about 30 English gentlemen, and a large but defencelefs train, were lodged in a fort of villa, which was enclofed in the fuburbs of Benares, and known by the name of Mahdoodafs's Gardens, their whole guard confifting in a handful of fepoys, not exceeding 50 or 60 in number; fo that it was not only in the power of the prince, but even without his appearance in it, or the aid of the military, of any tumultuous affembly of the people, to have cut them off without difficulty. It required no great fagacity, nor much political obfervation to enable the Rajah to perceive, that the die was already irrevocably caft, that the

means of accommodation were for ever done away, and that the most apparently defperate, were then the only prudent measures. Whoever then reflects upon the defperate ftate of the English affairs at that time, will eafily conceive that the immediate effects of fuch a blow, given at fuch a feafon, and fcattered as their forces were throughout every part of that vaft continent, muft, in the nature of things, have been nearly irrecoverable.

It is a matter of no fmall furprize, and was no lefs fortunate to the governor general, as well as to the company, that the armed multitude who had refcued Cheit Sing, and who were estimated at not less than 2,000 men, inflamed as they were by fuccefs, and flushed in blood, had not, inftead of following the Rajah, without any object in view, across the river, proceeded directly to Mahdocdafs's gardens. Their not doing fo fufficiently indicates, that the outrage at the palace was the mere act of the moment, without any previous concert, and without their being under the guidance of any bold or violent leaders.

The Rajah, instead of vigorous council and bold refource, feemed entirely to fink under the late act, and his apprehenfion of the confequences. Wanting refolution to determine upon the courfe he fhould purfue, whether to place his truft in the hope of accommodation, or to commit all to the fortune of arms, he hefitated between both, and did nothing. In such a state of uncertainty and trepidation, it was natural to a weak mind, to place [B] 2

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all fafety in diftance from the fcene of danger, and to trust to time for the recovery of that fortune, which was already loft. He accordingly fled from Ramnagur in the middle of the fame night, taking with him his effects, fuch troops as were there, and fuch of his family as were prefent; the palace being left in the cuftody of its own small ftationary garrison. With these the Rajah fled for fhelter and refuge, to Lutteefpore, one of his ftrongest fortreffes.

Neither the late bloody cataftrophe, nor the imminent danger to which he was perfonally expofed, feem to have produced the fmalleft effect upon the firmness or refolution of the governor general. He proceeded immediately to adminifter the affairs, and to difpofe of the government of the country, as if nothing untoward had happened, and that neither refiftance or danger were yet to be apprehended. On the very following day, he appointed Ouf faun Sing to the adminiftration of the revenues and government of the country, until (as he fays in his narrative) it fhould be determined to whom the zemindary might legally belong, and, who might be in a capacity to receive it. This act was immediately published by proclamation through the city of Benares; and meffengers were dispatched with no lefs expedition, to convey circular notices of the event to all the landholders throughout the country.

At the fame time, to fupport measures fo unexpected and aftonishing to the people, and to pre6

ferve the public tranquillity un der their immediate operation, he difpatched immediate orders to Capt. Mayaffre, who lay in the city of Mirzapore, with the refidue of Major Popham's detachment, and to a battalion of fepoys from Col. Blair's garrifon at Chunar, to advance without delay to the capital. He likewife fent orders to Dinapore, for a regiment of fepoys to proceed from thence, with no lefs celerity, to Benares.

It will be here neceffary, for the better comprehenfion of several fucceeding circumftances, to take fome notice of the fituation of thofe cities, particularly of the two firft, which lay within the Rajah's government. They both lie up the Ganges, to the fouthweft of Benares, in the direct way to Illahabad, and to other parts of the Nabob vizier's dominions. Mirzapore, is an open city; its diftance from Benares, by a direct line across the country, appears to be under forty miles; but by following the winding course of the river, that would probably be more than doubled. Chunar lies about mid-way between both; and is the capital of a confiderable territory of the fame name. This is a very important fortrefs, from its commanding one of the principal paffes on the Ganges; and has been accordingly garrifoned by the English ever fince the war with Sujah Ul Dowlah, in the year 1764; it being retained as a curb upon that prince and his fucceffors, and not upon the country of Benares, of which it compofes a part. Dinapore lies in the oppofite direction to thefe

cities,

cities, being a great way down the river, in the Bahar country. The precautions taken by the governor general were fully neceffary, for the ftorm began now to gather amain; and that in a degree with refpect to violence, and acceleration in point of time, which he feemed little to have apprehended. He had received intelligence, on which he relied, that Ramnagur had been abandoned, as we have already ftated; but knowing the difaffection of the people, the difficulty of the approaches through fuch a town, and confidering at the fame time, the fatal confequences of a repulfe in the prefent ftate of things, he very prudently abftained from hazarding Major Popham's fmall corps upon any intelligence, and waited for the arrival of the expected fuccours to make the attack. But on the fecond day after the Rajah's flight, when recollection had fome little time to operate, Ramjeewaun, a domeftic and confidential chief of the family, arrived with a body of arm. ed men, for the fecurity of Ramnagur.

This unexpected circumftance, prefenting a face of action till then unthought of, neceffarily demanded new meafures, and new difpofitions with refpect to the coming fuccours. Örders were accordingly difpatched to Chunar 'for two mortars, Major Popham having traced a spot on the fhore, directly oppofite to Ramnagur, from whence it was expected they would play with fuch advantage, that the clumfy strength of the palace could not long withftand their effects, and that the town isfelf would be rendered too warm,

to afford any longer protection, either to Ramjeewaun's party, or to the refractory inhabitants. Orders were likewife fent to the troops on their way from Mirzapore, under Capt. Mayaffre, and to the battalion from Chunar, that they fhould proceed directly to: Ramnagur; the ftricteft injunctions being at the fame time laid on the officers who conducted thefe corps, that they should not hazard or attempt any thing, nor even commit hoftility; but that halting at a fafe distance from the town, they fhould keep their troops clofe and entire, until Major Popham had taken his measures and. the command. These inftructions were particularly enforced on Mayaffre, who being the fenior officer, was to command the whole united body, until the arrival of Popham.

All thefe precautions were rendered fruitless, and the defign not only fruftrated, but the enterprize marked with heavy lofs and difgrace, through the intemperate ambition, vanity and rashness of Mayaffre. That officer, intoxicated by command, hoping to establish a high military reputation, without regarding the pro priety or rectitude of the means to be employed in its attainment, and defpifing an enemy of whom he had no knowledge, marched on directly, at the head of the united corps, notwithstanding the remonftrances of the other officers, and without reconnoitring the place, or looking for informa tion, to the attack of Ramnagur.

The event was fuch as the nature of the act merited; and had the author alone paid the forfeit, [B] 3

the